New Publication: Comparison and Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Two Approaches of Diffusible Iodine-Based Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography (diceCT) for Avian Cephalic Material

Sagittal sections of the two tinamou heads processed using I2KI-formaldehyde (A) and I2E (B), respectively. Black arrows highlight the staining effect on the spinal cord; white arrows highlight the differential penetration of iodine in the two approaches (inset 3-D renderings for each specimen show the section positions).

“I2KI-formalin (iodine-potassium iodine-formalin) treatment can obscure the natural X-ray contrast of the bone due to neighboring soft-tissues during staining of avian cephalic material. By contrast, we found the I2E (iodine-ethanol) treatment can increase the X-ray opacity of not only soft tissues (e.g., muscles), but also the bone. Mathematical simulations suggest that remarkably different results from I2E and I2KI-formalin staining are due to different partition coefficients and retardation factors of tissues, fixation effects, and distinct iodine diffusion and sorption patterns. We also found a clear positive relationship between glycogen concentration and grayscale values measured within muscle, epithelia, nervous tissues, and glands regardless of the staining solution used.”